I was going to write about how Michigan should be in the championship game instead of Florida, but Gene Wojciechowski from ESPN.com said it better than I ever could have. I’m not saying that the two teams aren’t close, but when you take out all your SEC/anti-Big Ten biases the Wolverines make a better case. That’s all I’m going to say about the BCS standings for now. I may come back sometime next week with a more thorough comparison of the two teams.
Here’s my Heisman ballot and the method behind my madness:
3. Darren McFadden: McFadden ran for 1,558 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also threw for 3 touchdowns on 8 passing attempts with one interception. Injured at the beginning of the year, his development as a player is what kept Arkansas’ title hopes alive (since Casey Dick, their quarterback, is awful). He’s a sophomore, which means he will be back next year to do some more damage in the SEC. I hope Auburn figures out how to tackle by then.
2. Troy Smith: Troy Smith dominated every defense he played. Like Peyton Manning in those Sprint commercials, Smith has a “laser, rocket arm” that he uses to throw a football wherever he wants on the field. He threw for 2,507 yards, 30 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. Those stats are ridiculous. Smith is the first Ohio State quarterback since some guy named Tippy Dye, who played in the 30s, to beat Michigan three times in a row. “So,” you may be wondering, “if Troy Smith is this amazing, why don’t you rank him number one?” The answer is…
1. Vince Young: Let’s all be real for a second. Vince Young got robbed of the Heisman Trophy last year. Reggie Bush, as good as he was, was only the second-best player in the nation. Young proved that during the 2006 Rose Bowl when he dominated USC once and for all. Plus, Young’s presence made it possible for Texas to beat Nebraska this season, and his spirit was with Oregon State and UCLA when they beat USC. Finally, he is already a pretty good NFL quarterback. C’mon, folks. Let’s make up for last year’s mistake.
Feel free to post your unconvincing pro-Florida/pro-Quinn/anti-Young arguments here. I’ll be back before the 19th to predict the first round of bowl games.
I feel for Michigan, but…
According to the probably most objective component of the BCS, UM and Florida are about the same team once outliers are removed.
So things were left up to the human polls. This is what everyone wanted, right? Oh, wait, no, the humans screwed up! Now we’re mad again! Blargh, blargh!
At I’m not hearing calls for a return to the old system this time. I still get mad when people, especially GT fans, get mad at the old system. (GT fans, you guys realize the old system screwed us over in 1990, right?)